When Mitchell Santner clean bowled Fakhar Zaman during the Black Caps' five wicket win over Pakistan in Hamilton yesterday, New Zealand cricket fans got a taste of something we've never seen on our shores from a Kiwi spinner - the carrom ball.
Santner's delivery pitched outside Fakhar's leg stump, seeing the Pakistan opener advance down the wicket to try and hit him over long on for a six.
However - to his horror - Santner's delivery turned back into the left hander, going on to take out leg stump and send Fakhar on his way back to the pavilion.
The delivery, known as the carrom ball, is used by finger spinners, whereby the thumb and middle finger are used to simply flick the ball rather than impart spin in the orthodox fashion.
Simply put, the ball turns the opposite way to a finger spinner's stock delivery.
The ball is flicked out of the hand, with the name derived from the South Asian board game carrom.
Other current bowlers to utilise the delivery include India's Ravi Ashwin and Sri Lanka's Ajantha Medis - with the Black Caps star adding his name to esteemed company with his mastery displayed yesterday, becoming the first left hander in international cricket to do so.
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